Trip Summary Fall patterns locked in across Tampa Bay this week. Cool mornings, light-moderate NE winds, and clear, moving water had bait packed along mangrove shorelines, flats potholes, and bridge shadow lines. The best windows were dawn through mid-morning on higher stages of the tide and the first push of the outgoing. Snook chewed early on free-lined pilchards and shrimp worked along mangrove points, creek mouths, and seawall eddies from Weedon Island to Fort De Soto. Redfish cruised shallow grass and oyster edges—topwater at first light, then gold spoons and cut mullet once the sun got up. Trout were steady in 3–5 ft over broken grass/sand; popping corks with live shrimp or 3" paddletails kept rods bent. Mangrove snapper stacked on bridge fenders and markers; small pilchards on light leaders were instant. Early sheepshead activity ticked up on docks and rock piles with fiddler crabs or shrimp bits. What Worked This Week Baits/Lures: Live greenbacks, shrimp; 3–4" paddletails on 1/8–1/4 oz jigs; 1/2 oz gold spoons; bone or chrome walk-the-dog topwaters at gray light Leaders: 25–30 lb fluoro for snook/reds near structure; 12–20 lb for trout/snapper over open grass Cadence & Boat Control: Long up-current casts, let baits sweep naturally; light chum with whitebait to keep fish pinned; quiet approaches on the flats Hot Zones Weedon Island mangrove points and creek drains on the last of the incoming/first of the outgoing (snook/reds) Fort De Soto and Bunces Pass flats—pothole hopping for snook/trout at dawn Picnic Island and Apollo Beach oyster bars for upper-slot reds on wind-blown shorelines Skyway Bridge fenders and nearby markers for snapper during peak flow Looking Ahead A touch more northeast breeze and slightly cooler mornings should tighten redfish schools and keep snook staged at creek mouths. Expect trout to push a bit deeper after bright, calm days. If water clears, downsize leaders and hooks; if it turns chalky after wind, bump spoon size/flash and slow your retrieve.

Tampa Bay is squarely in its fall transition, and the bite showed it this week. Cooling mornings and steady northeast breezes pushed big schools of whitebait and glass minnows onto the flats and around the bridges, drawing predators tight to current edges. Water temps slid into the low–mid 80s, with the best action on early high tides and the first of the outgoing. Snook fired on live greenbacks free-lined along mangrove points and potholes at first light from Weedon Island to Fort De Soto. Work the shadow lines and let baits sweep naturally—most fish were mid-slot with a few overs. Redfish patrolled shallow grass and oyster edges; cut pinfish, fresh ladyfish strips, and gold spoons produced solid upper-slot fish on the top of the tide. Look for mullet schools on the flats near Picnic Island and the back lakes—reds were underneath. Trout were consistent on 3–5 ft grass with scattered sand holes; soft-plastic paddletails and popping corks with live shrimp did the damage. Mangrove snapper stacked on the Skyway fender systems and channel markers; drop small pilchards or shrimp on 20–25 lb fluoro leaders for quick limits. Sheepshead activity ticked up on docks and rock piles with fiddler crabs or shrimp bits—expect more as fronts strengthen. What worked this week Live greenbacks; chum light to keep fish interested 25–30 lb fluoro for snook/reds; 15–20 lb for trout/snapper Early high tides and moving water around bridge pilings, points, and creek mouths Gold spoons and bone-white topwaters at dawn on wind-blown shorelines Looking ahead: As the first real fronts approach, expect the redfish schools to tighten and the snook bite to hold on mangrove points and creek drains. Keep an eye on water clarity after any blow; downsize leaders and hooks if it clears up.

Tampa Bay is hot right now. As we come out of this last cold front, the bite has really picked up. Tampa Bay water temps are between 78 - 81 degrees. As the water warms up the fishery has started to come to life. Snook, Redfish, Trout, and Tarpon are making their way into the bay in massive numbers. On this trip, I had one gentleman that had never fished before and another that is one of my regulars. The bite started off hot and never let up. Both anglers caught their first snook. Even though snook is out of season, the fight alone made their trip. A couple of nice reds where caught in the mangroves feeding on live greenbacks. We even had a nice 38in Bonnethead caught. This was a great trip for both and with the bite being non-stop it made for an easy trip.